The “top beam” of the new East Longmeadow High School, complete with a ceremonial flag and evergreen tree, sits affixed in its position as the highest point of the building.
Photo credit: Jaime Rooke
EAST LONGMEADOW — The new East Longmeadow High School reached a milestone on Feb. 26, as crew members from contractor Fontaine Bros. “topped out” the building, installing an I-beam at the highest point of the steel structure.
Topping out ceremonies, also known as “topping off,” are a tradition in the construction industry. In the United States, an American flag, a small evergreen tree or both are attached to the final I-beam, before it is hoisted into place. The origin of the practice is unclear, but it is known to have been in use in Scandanavia as early as the 700s C.E. as a way to appease tree-dwelling spirits who had been displaced by the construction.
Before the beam was hoisted, local officials, people from architects Jones Whitsett and SMMA, Fontaine Bros., owner’s project manager Skanska and others who had worked to bring the building to fruition signed the beam. Their signatures will be encased in the building for decades to come.
“It’s a community effort to build a community building,” said Superintendent Gordon Smith.
State Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow) praised Smith as “one of the longest-serving superintendents in all of the commonwealth of Massachusetts.” He addressed Smith, saying, “Gordon, this project behind us wouldn’t [have] happened without you.” He also praised the High School Building Committee, Town Council and School Committee for their support of the project.
Oliveira spoke on behalf of state Reps. Brian Ashe (D-Longmeadow) and Angelo Puppolo (D-Springfield), both of whom were called into session in Boston. “As two individuals who have represented this community for two decades, they saw the need,” Oliveira said of his colleagues. “They’ve been in this high school. They’ve walked around the buckets as the leaks were falling in.”
Oliveira also expressed “a sincere debt of gratitude to the voters here in East Longmeadow for investing in this project behind us.” He said, “You showed up at the polls. You put your money where your mouth is, and you made this project possible. Thank you to the people of East Longmeadow for always being there and standing up for public education.”
East Longmeadow voters approved a debt exclusion in November 2023 that funded the $177.5 million school and a $16.79 million natatorium to house the pool. The Massachusetts School Building Authority will reimburse the town for $82 million. Oliveira explained that one cent of every dollar raised through sales tax goes to the MSBA, and in that way, East Longmeadow residents’ money is returning to the town.
Oliveira paraphrased one-time presidential candidate Hubert Humphrey, saying, “The moral test of government is how it treats those that are in the dawn of life; the children, those that are in the twilight of life; the seniors, and those that are the poor, the sick and the needy.”
Town Council President Connor O’Shea said the ability to fund the school is the result of “financially prudent decisions” by the town and the state. He added that the topping off ceremony made the project feel “more real.”
School Committee member Aimee Dalenta spoke about the top beam as “a symbol of progress” and “dedication” to students. “This new high school represents more than just bricks and mortar. It is a promise to our students that they will have a learning environment that inspires, challenges and prepares them for the future.”
East Longmeadow High School technology teacher Thomas Walsh said the project has given students first-hand knowledge. Crew members from Fontaine Bros. let the students watch the progress and come over to the fence to explain what the students were seeing. Through this, the school was fostering learning before the doors were even open.
